I am using this list to keep track of the countries I need to read. It includes 197 countries – 193 UN members, two UN observers (Palestine and Vatican City), Kosovo, and Taiwan. However, the definition of what constitutes a country does vary depending on where you come from (feelings! politics! maps! it’s a hot mess!) and I am keeping track of countries not included in the “official” list over here and I would eventually like to scoop up those countries as well.

This has been so tricky! Technically, the United Kingdom is ONE country. (People were very surprised that I didn’t read England as part of the E’s.) When I reach the U’s, I’m going to roll a dice to pick between Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Could I read a book for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales? Absolutely. But that perpetuates the American/English-centric bias I had in my reading choices for the first 45 years of my life! Sure, from my perspective, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland feel like completely different countries and it’s a shame to lump them in with the U.K. but there are plenty of groups around the world who are absorbed by bigger countries–and I’ll stop rambling. I could write about this all day, but I won’t sound coherent.

Update 3/28/25: As I update the website, I intend to create some fun graphics with all the countries. I’m learning how to do this as I go! But it’s fun and I’m obsessed.